College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1598
The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item Applying Vegetation Dynamics Theory to the Long-Term Ecological Design and Management of Urban Public Parks: Upper Long Branch Stream Valley, Maryland(2021) Podietz, Emma; Myers, David N; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Calls for ecological applications in landscape architecture have increased as the world faces compounding crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and human disconnection with natural systems. Landscape architects are uniquely situated to address these crises as practitioners who engage at multiple scales with ecological systems, placemaking, and land use planning. A sustainability ethic exists within the discipline, but ecological principles and theory are inconsistently applied in built work. Vegetation dynamics theory generalizes the mechanisms of plant community change over time, and presents a useful framework for the planting design, long-term adaptive management, and stewardship of urban parks. The principles of the theory can be interwoven with ecological and aesthetic goals of designed landscapes. This thesis demonstrates how centering vegetation dynamics theory in urban park design can enhance ecological function of urban landscapes, create heightened place attachment through aesthetic and interpretive experience, and guide the long-term management and stewardship of urban ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic United States.Item Ecologically Inspired Design of Green Roof Retrofit(2007-08-13) Schumann, Laura Marie; Tilley, David R; Biological Resources Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Green roofs are becoming popular in the United States for their runoff and energy reduction abilities. However, current designs have high installation costs, heavy load-bearing requirements, and restrictions to low-sloped roofs. We designed a novel retrofit technology, the green cloak, which uses fast-growing vine species and a trellis to suspend vegetation above a roof. We conducted field experiments, prototype testing, and mathematical modeling to determine the effect of the green cloak on stormwater runoff and indoor summertime building temperature reduction. We assessed energy and monetary cost-benefits. The green cloak reduced July indoor building temperature by 11.3°C which saved 73% of cooling energy costs. The green cloak delayed the peak storm runoff from a 0.15mm/min storm by 100 minutes. The green cloak costs 38% less than a green roof. The green cloak demonstrated great potential for mitigating runoff impacts of impervious surfaces, reducing summer temperatures of buildings, and creating urban greenery.